The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability of the Eastern San Diego County Proposed Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement (PRMP/FEIS).

The PRMP/FEIS addresses public lands managed by the BLM’s El Centro Field Office in the eastern portion of San Diego County, CA. These public lands cover about 100,000 acres, spanning a portion of the eastern escarpment of Southern California’s Peninsular Ranges. The area is adjacent to the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, the Cleveland National Forest, several Indian reservations, and the U.S.-Mexico border. The PRMP will provide future management guidance for use and protection of the resources in this area.

The public assisted BLM in identifying key land use issues in this area through a formal scoping process conducted in 2004. The draft RMP/EIS was released in March 2007 with over 230 public comments received by the May 31 deadline. The draft RMP/EIS analyzed the environmental impacts of these and other land use issues, and a wide range of management alternatives. Publication of the availability initiates the 30-day protest period. Specific protest procedures are outlined in the proposed resource management plan.

Paper and digital (compact disk) copies of the PRMP/FEIS are available at the El Centro Field Office at the above address and at the California BLM State Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825. The document is also available online at www.ca.blm.gov/elcentro.

For further information, contact the BLM El Centro Field Office, (760) 337-4436.

Source: BLM